Chapter 95: I Want to Challenge You
"I've become stronger!"
Hyuga Yizhen excitedly felt the powerful energy surging through his body. The curse mark brought an all-around enhancement. The strength was intoxicating, and before he knew it, a sense of invincibility—of standing above heaven and earth—rose within him…
But in the end, he was a smart man. He hadn't forgotten who had given him all of this.
"Captain Jiexuan, from now on, these Byakugan eyes of mine will open only for you!"
Hyuga Yizhen clenched his fist and swore an oath. His follower loyalty surged along with it, reaching eighty. This meant every word he spoke came straight from the heart. If a blade were to slash toward Li Jiexuan right now, he would throw himself in front of it without a second thought!
Loyalty was nice, of course—but even if someone were two-faced, as long as the curse mark was in place, Li Jiexuan, as the caster, could kill Hyuga Yizhen with nothing more than a thought.
Not everyone was as lucky as Sasuke, with a brother obsessed enough to protect him every step of the way!
That said, the curse mark's boost to strength was undeniable. Hyuga Yizhen's power jumped straight from genin to elite chunin. With more effort—combining the curse mark's second stage with the Byakugan—it wouldn't even be impossible to surpass Kakashi's jonin-level record.
Having settled Hyuga Yizhen's strength issue, Li Jiexuan turned his head toward Yamada Xunzhen.
"Do you want to try it too?"
Li Jiexuan had always held Yamada Xunzhen in high regard. Not only were his medical ninjutsu outstanding, he was also sharp and reliable in how he handled things. No wonder Li Jiexuan had personally asked the First Hokage for him…
Still, as a medical ninja, Li Jiexuan wasn't sure how much he actually craved power.
After all, this was power gambled with one's life. Even with stamina potions, Li Jiexuan couldn't guarantee a one-hundred-percent survival rate…
Yet Yamada Xunzhen's reaction completely exceeded Li Jiexuan's expectations. He didn't refuse, but neither was he fanatical—just a curious, mildly interested calm.
"Sure, why not try it."
The tone was like that of an honest mountain man visiting the city for the first time, casually agreeing to the tempting invitation of a shampoo-parlor girl…
Li Jiexuan didn't hesitate either—once again, the Curse Mark of Heaven. More curse marks meant more fallback options for him later anyway, and all that senjutsu chakra was being footed by the White Snake Sage. But what Li Jiexuan hadn't expected was that after receiving the curse mark, Yamada Xunzhen showed no adverse reaction at all—calm as a deep mountain lake.
"Did it… succeed?"
Hyuga Yizhen stared wide-eyed in disbelief. He himself had been on the verge of death, writhing in agony for a long time—the kind of pain where every second felt like his body was about to collapse, something he'd never forget for the rest of his life.
But…
"It succeeded."
Yamada Xunzhen smiled lightly and extended his arm. Curse-mark patterns spread across his body as his power and aura rose by more than just a small margin.
Hyuga Yizhen froze.
They were both people following Li Jiexuan for a living—so how could the difference between being human be this big? He'd nearly died from the ordeal, while Yamada Xunzhen looked as relaxed as if he'd just eaten a piece of candy…
What made Li Jiexuan frown slightly, though, was that Yamada Xunzhen still hadn't become his follower. This meant Shinsuke wasn't loyal to him in the same way Hyuga Yizhen was…
Strangely enough, however, Li Jiexuan's system received an inexplicable notification.
"Ding…"
Senju Hashirama's sense of recognition toward you has increased!
"What's going on here?"
Li Jiexuan scratched his head in confusion. Why would that old monster Senju Hashirama suddenly approve of him? After thinking it over, the only explanation he could come up with was that Tsunade had put in a good word for him in front of Hashirama.
But really—would a Hokage of that stature be swayed just by his granddaughter's praise?
Li Jiexuan pondered for a moment, then burst out laughing. "Other Hokage? No chance. But Hashirama? Who knows…"
After all, among all the Hokage, he ranked first when it came to being unserious!
No sooner had Tsunade crossed his mind than her voice suddenly rang out—
"Jiraiya, stop right there!"
Tsunade's furious roar echoed through the entire hospital.
"If you dare disturb Jiexuan-kun, I'll kill you!"
"…" Inside the ward, everyone fell silent. Who exactly was being more disruptive here?
Creak.
The ward door was suddenly shoved open, and a small brat with spiky white hair rushed in.
"Li Jiexuan, I want to challenge you!"
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